CV writing services
Discussion
I got a "free" CV review recently from TopCV.com as a promo through a job ads website (maybe TotalJobs, can't remember). The free review is clearly designed to entice you to actually buy one of their "professional CV writing" packages and doesn't give a great deal of specific feedback. I'm actively looking for a new role at the moment (very actively in fact) and wondering if a better-written/presented CV might help increase my chances.
TopCV seem to get mostly positive reviews, anyone used them? Any other sites/firms better for this? I guess if there are any PHers that do this professionally then I'd be happy to put the business their way?
TopCV seem to get mostly positive reviews, anyone used them? Any other sites/firms better for this? I guess if there are any PHers that do this professionally then I'd be happy to put the business their way?
8bit said:
I got a "free" CV review recently from TopCV.com as a promo through a job ads website (maybe TotalJobs, can't remember). The free review is clearly designed to entice you to actually buy one of their "professional CV writing" packages and doesn't give a great deal of specific feedback. I'm actively looking for a new role at the moment (very actively in fact) and wondering if a better-written/presented CV might help increase my chances.
TopCV seem to get mostly positive reviews, anyone used them? Any other sites/firms better for this? I guess if there are any PHers that do this professionally then I'd be happy to put the business their way?
I think I paid around £600 to have mine done a few years ago - if memory serves, that included a LinkedIn page too.TopCV seem to get mostly positive reviews, anyone used them? Any other sites/firms better for this? I guess if there are any PHers that do this professionally then I'd be happy to put the business their way?
Happily put you in touch, but recognise the price is a bit lumpy!
You should be able to get your CV to a pretty good standard following some good practice
Keep it punchy, easy to digest and relevant - no 6 pagers ideally 1-2 pages
Most readers look at the first half a page and have made their decision by then - make sure whats going to hook them is immediately visible
You dont have to include your entire life, usually details on your last few roles with a summary of the rest
Include Responsibilities and Successes in your role descriptions better to bullet them
Write a personal profile that you adapt for each role you apply for and have it on page one
You dont have to write your address age or anything like that, best thing to have is name, phone number and linkedin profile
Try to make the look and feel more dynamic, days are gone when we just wrote everything out in Times New Roman on a blank white page in Word
Keep it punchy, easy to digest and relevant - no 6 pagers ideally 1-2 pages
Most readers look at the first half a page and have made their decision by then - make sure whats going to hook them is immediately visible
You dont have to include your entire life, usually details on your last few roles with a summary of the rest
Include Responsibilities and Successes in your role descriptions better to bullet them
Write a personal profile that you adapt for each role you apply for and have it on page one
You dont have to write your address age or anything like that, best thing to have is name, phone number and linkedin profile
Try to make the look and feel more dynamic, days are gone when we just wrote everything out in Times New Roman on a blank white page in Word
dibblecorse said:
8bit, I run an inhouse recruiting team in the tech space, think I have found you on LinkedIn, have sent a connection request, my initials are PDB, happy to help you sort your CV .... have a look at my profile, if you want the help, its there, and free ....
Received and responded - many thanks!People do get worried about CVs.
I’ve worked in senior level exec search for twenty years. Do I really care about how your CV is presented - not really.
If my research team present me with one that looks super modern and one that looks very old style, does that go into my decision making process? Not at all.
Honestly, I might read the last ten years in some depth, before that will be a skim.
To not put an indication of where you live is annoying, will this person be looking at a in-country or international relocation? Yes we’ll get in to that at a discussion but is very useful to know up front - some clients would prefer no relocation. Hence advice above to not include some level of address - I would disagree. ‘Based in Cheshire, Basel, California…..’ is useful to know.
Just finished a CEO search and the range of styles of CV was quite wide. Did it affect the outcome in any way -no, not one bit.
Currently on an MD role, with a strong commercial focus. Good to see numbers. Rather than ‘I reorganised the EMEA region by blah blah blah and then blah blah’ I’d rather see ‘I restructured EMEA resulting in increased sales of £50M’.
If I want to know how you did it -I’ll ask.
If you do want to get an amber flag:
1 - Spending time with our cockapoo
2 - Active member of church
1..oh come on, you just walk a dog, Who cares what stupid breed.
2. Experience tells me you might well be a bit odd or make some strange comment at some point in the process that will get mine or my client’s back up.
Do you have the skills and experience to lead a business trumps choice of font, style of bullet points and whether it’s two or three pages.
I understand that further back in a company then CV style might well be a higher priority.
I’ve worked in senior level exec search for twenty years. Do I really care about how your CV is presented - not really.
If my research team present me with one that looks super modern and one that looks very old style, does that go into my decision making process? Not at all.
Honestly, I might read the last ten years in some depth, before that will be a skim.
To not put an indication of where you live is annoying, will this person be looking at a in-country or international relocation? Yes we’ll get in to that at a discussion but is very useful to know up front - some clients would prefer no relocation. Hence advice above to not include some level of address - I would disagree. ‘Based in Cheshire, Basel, California…..’ is useful to know.
Just finished a CEO search and the range of styles of CV was quite wide. Did it affect the outcome in any way -no, not one bit.
Currently on an MD role, with a strong commercial focus. Good to see numbers. Rather than ‘I reorganised the EMEA region by blah blah blah and then blah blah’ I’d rather see ‘I restructured EMEA resulting in increased sales of £50M’.
If I want to know how you did it -I’ll ask.
If you do want to get an amber flag:
1 - Spending time with our cockapoo
2 - Active member of church
1..oh come on, you just walk a dog, Who cares what stupid breed.
2. Experience tells me you might well be a bit odd or make some strange comment at some point in the process that will get mine or my client’s back up.
Do you have the skills and experience to lead a business trumps choice of font, style of bullet points and whether it’s two or three pages.
I understand that further back in a company then CV style might well be a higher priority.
I've been looking into this - I'd want a CV rewrite, cover letter, and a LinkedIn page. What signs and prices should I be looking at when picking someone and do they tend to focus on specific jobs?
I would guess that the big companies focus on volume and don't write the best CVs but Purple CV charge £100 to £215 for a package which includes all three, depending on the level of experience. All seem very cheap for what they are doing and what a good job will bring.
On the other hand, Sarah Lovell charges anything from £225 to £795 for all three. Even at the top end would pay itself back in two years if it helped get a job that paid just £1k more.
I would guess that the big companies focus on volume and don't write the best CVs but Purple CV charge £100 to £215 for a package which includes all three, depending on the level of experience. All seem very cheap for what they are doing and what a good job will bring.
On the other hand, Sarah Lovell charges anything from £225 to £795 for all three. Even at the top end would pay itself back in two years if it helped get a job that paid just £1k more.
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